It’s National Licensing Week (Monday 12 to Friday 16 June). This celebrates the role and importance of licensing in the UK to keep people safe when enjoying hospitality and pleasure activities. To mark the occasion, the General Licensing Team at Sandwell Council is holding drop-in support for local businesses.

Why is licensing important?

Licensing often goes unnoticed by the general public, but it is everywhere. Almost every activity in the hospitality sector needs a licence or some other licensing authorisation. From authorising the sale and supply of alcohol to regulating who can collect door to door for charities and how, licensing is here to keep people safe and ensure fairness for consumers.

For your Sandwell company, licensing may seem like yet another hurdle to overcome, but it’s actually good for business. It shows you and your wider industry are working safely and within the law, building trust from customers.

What is National Licensing Week?

The Institute of Licensing launched National Licensing Week in 2016 as part of its 20th year celebrations. It is here to raise public awareness of how licensing runs through many activities we take part in day to day, and bring together practitioners in all areas of licensing to celebrate the role they play in our hospitality and leisure industries. In 2023, the goal of National Licensing Week is to show that licensing is everywhere. It takes on daily themes to show how licensing affects our daily lives:

Day 1 (Monday 12 June) – Positive partnerships, the cornerstone of licensing regulation and engagement
Day 2 (Tuesday 13 June) – Tourism and leisure, showing how licensing plays a significant role across the UK, in tourism and leisure pursuits that range from small village fetes to large music venues, outdoor festivals and sporting events
Day 3 (Wednesday 14 June) – Home and family: most people do not realise how important licensing is to our everyday lives, until something goes wrong
Day 4 (Thursday 15 June) – Night time, and how almost every aspect of our night-time economy touches on licensing to some degree
Day 5 (Friday 16 June) – Business and licensing, showing how licensing regulation touches almost every business sector.

How is Sandwell Council marking National Licensing Week?

During National Licensing Week 2023 (Monday 12 June to Friday 16 June) Sandwell Council’s General Licensing Team is offering drop-in support at Sandwell Council House. It’s free – and local businesses can call in and ask anything they like regarding the Licensing Act (which covers alcohol and regulated entertainment), scrap metal site or collector licences, and gambling (including information on casinos and adult gaming centres).

This support will be will be ideal if you’re setting up a business in the borough, or you have an existing business and need advice to ensure you’re doing everything right.

You can pop in at Sandwell Council House any time between 10am and 1pm

on Wednesday 14 June (last remaining date)

for free advice. No booking needed!

The team will also be visiting existing licenced premises in Sandwell for awareness raising, advice and compliance checks

You can see a full list of available licensing support and the relevant application forms on the main Sandwell Council website.